Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-08-20
MARTINsBURG, W. va, SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1887

me to live for now,n and, taking a
pistol out OF his pocket, pulled the
trigger. The bnllet went surely
through his brain, and the three
dead bodies Of that little family are
now lying side by side in Chats.
worth waiting to be identified.
For three hours one woman was
hanging out of a car window, her
body lifeless. She was caught by
the thighs, and it took about fifteen
minutes to extricate her. Her legs
were horribly mangled and tie flesh
was torn completely off. One of the
most ghoulish acts ever recorded is
going the rounds. A man was get
ting out of the cars. Near him dur
ing the journey was a woman with
a fine gold watch and chain. She
was badly injured, and cried with
anguish: "Oh, God, help me-"
The man turned, apparently, to as
sist her, but instead, stopped over,
grabbed the watch and chain and
fed.
A noble girl named Ganny Breb-
ne:, of Farmville, ILL.,, was one of
the notable heroines of the wreck.
She went through the disaster IN.
hurt, and hour after hour from that
even acted as nurse for dying vic
tins. So great were her services
that the physicians finally placed
under her exclusive charge two in
jured boys from Peoria and a photo.
grapher of Burlington, Iowa. They
were all badly hurt, and If they re.
cover eventually they will owe it
almost wholly to her ministrations.
She and score of others like her
redeemed confidence in human ma
ture after a sight of the vandals of
the wreck.
PREFERRED DEATH TO SUFFERING.
An unknown man, with one leg
crushed but apparently not other,
wise injured, was taken from the
wreck into the field and laid on a
couch made of cushions of car seats.
He begged for water, and the man
who carried him started to bring
him some. He had scarcely turned
his back when the report of a pistol
rang out. The injured man had
blown his brains out. The example
seemed contagious.
A man near begged for the wea-
pom. that he also might put himself
out of misery. Others among the
wounded followed his example.
There were other scenes in the
wheat field less tragic, but quite as
pitlful. A girl who came from Peo-
ria stood among the dead
ASKING PITEoUSLY FOR HER
MAMMA.
1t was late when her mamma was
found, and she was among the dead.
fAe@goqg t those - yh9 9-j camss fso@ For.
bucket, of Peoria. He had scarce
ly begun the search when he found
the dead body of his wife.
Perhaps one Of the saddest sights
was that presented by four dead
children, the eldest not over three
years, all laid side by side, and the
ugly cuts and gashes on their little
bodies telling the story of how they
came to their death. Many strong
men bowed their heads and wept
over the sight.
THERE WAS AN INCIDENT
in the affair which was not only re-
markable in it's way, but shows how
terribly those six coaches were jam
med and mashed together. When
the accident occurred Andy Mooney,
of Peoria. and Conductor Stillwell,
who was in charge of the train, were
three cars from each other.
Mooney was in the second car and
Stillwell in the fifth. The next in
slant they found themselves literal
ly in each others arms, the car in
which the conductor was riding hav.
ing been carried over the two in
front and dropped on top of the one
which Mooney was in. The strange
part of it was neither man was
hurt.
Torn and bleeding human beings
10 all the different stages OF suffer
ing lay around the rooms moaning
and crying with agoay, while doc
tors and nurse were binding up their
wounds. Bloody clothing, torn and
covered with mud, lay around on the
floors in heaps, together with car cush.
ions, mattresses and blankets, Oh
which they had been brought from the
scene of the wreck. Many patients
were under the influence of ether OF
chloroform, while their faces, ghast-
lly white, teeth tightly clenehed,
showed the sufferings which they
were undergoing while partially OBJ.
livious to the fact. Blood was
everywhere, on the floors, walls
clothing and hands of the wounded
as well as those. who we're caring for
them.
1t the depot at Chatsworth and in
the unoccupied store used as a NOR
que, stretched out on the floors, in
different directions, were the
corpses of men, women and children
dressed in the clothing ia which
they had met their death. In the
empty store, in room 20 feet wide
and 40 feet long, were counted
twenty seven corpses at one time
Their clothing was torn aud dishevel-
ed, and their stiffened hands and
arms, in the majority of instances,
were crossed over their breasts.
The heads of the dead we've general
~ maDgled in the most frlghtful
manner, and were always covered
| by some article of clothing. The
face of young woman who was ".
ing on the floor of the depot had
l,oox, ca l,oafaa h.. tho <an..oI x.ax. Tim